


101 Dalmatians: the Magnus and Alec story

by Humansunshine



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe: 101 Dalmatians, Clary and Jace are dogs, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mundane Alec Lightwood, Mundane Magnus Bane, Mundane Magnus Bane/Mundane Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-15 03:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16925505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humansunshine/pseuds/Humansunshine
Summary: Magnus prides himself on the good behaviour of his dog, Clary. When she runs away on their daily walk, he stumbles into a man and his dog who'll change their lives forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I watched 101 Dalmatians today and this happened. I'll add to it at some point!
> 
> I generally hate the whole 'Magnus as a fashion designer' thing but the plot calls for it in this AU so...
> 
> No trigger warnings necessary!

They say that true love will come when you least expect it. 

Magnus Bane could definitely say that he didn’t expect to meet his true love that chilly Wednesday afternoon.

As always, his dog Clary had woken him up with a sloppy kiss on the cheek, and he’d spent the morning sketching some vague ideas for the spring collection at Cruella De Vil, the studio he worked for. Clary was as quiet as she normally was, bringing him her tug toy halfway through the morning to remind him to get up and stretch and play with her at the same time. 

She was a good dog; always well-behaved in the house, never tugging on the lead on her walks. He gave her a scratch on the head as he put on her harness, smiling at her when she raised her legs without any fuss. 

“Good girl,” he cooed, scritching under her chin. Once he had his own coat and scarf on, he looped Clary’s lead around his wrist and opened the door, turning to lock it behind him once Clary had trotted obediently through. 

He let Clary decide whether they had a long walk or a short one in the afternoon; most of the time she only wanted a quick lap around the block after lunch, but today she chose to head towards the park, happily leading Magnus up the street, her tail wagging. As they walked, Magnus reflected on the design he’d just been working on, zoning out with his eyes on Clary’s shoulders. 

The silhouette he’d finished this morning had been perfect, but he couldn’t decide whether to use a print or a solid colour, or two solid colours… 

As he was pondering, Clary veered into the park and yanked him out of his reverie. She had her nose to the ground, and just before they got to their usual bench, Clary froze. Magnus raised his eyebrow, and looked up in the direction that Clary’s white spotted nose was pointing. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but as his eyes lowered back down to Clary, she lunged forwards, the lead ripping out of his hand.

“Clary!” He yelped, his eyes widening. She had never pulled on the lead, not even when she was a puppy. Magnus was so shocked for a moment that he stood there frozen, but then he took off after her, his soft woollen scarf streaming behind him. 

Luckily, his hesitation hadn’t lasted so long that Clary was out of sight; she seemed to be following the path around the lake. He sprinted after her, shouting various commands that usually had her waiting patiently for treats, but she paid him no mind, racing through the park. 

Magnus skidded to a halt when he rounded a corner to see Clary and a dog who looked just like her rolling around in the grass, yipping and leaping around each other like puppies.

“Jace!” 

A man with dark hair hurried over to the two dogs, a black lead in his hands. He was dripping wet, and missing a shoe. When Magnus saw that the man had clipped the lead he was holding to Clary’s collar, he hurried forward.

“Hey!” Magnus shouted, “let her go!” 

The wet man looked up at Magnus from where he was crouching on the floor, pushing his sopping hair out of his face. “Let who go?” 

“My dog!” 

“What d’you mean, your dog? Do I look like an idiot?” The wet man said, getting to his feet. 

Magnus looked him up and down. “Well, now that you mention it, yes, actually!” 

The wet man looked down at himself, sniffing. “Look, I think I know my own…” He glanced down at Clary, his eyebrows furrowing. His eyes slowly moved over to the other dalmatian, sitting a few feet away, panting happily. “Oh.”

 

“Yes, oh.” Magnus muttered, taking hold of Clary’s collar as the man unclipped his lead from her collar.

“I’m sorry, dalmatians are tricky,” the wet man admitted. “And I’ve had a hell of a day.”

Magnus shrugged, his eyes flicking over the man again. Magnus suspected that he might be cute when he was dry and didn’t have algae on his face. “No harm done.”

“My dog just lost his mind, ran off out of nowhere,” he explained, glaring at his dog, who was licking Clary’s muzzle. His eyes softened a little at the display of affection. “Usually Jace hates other dogs.”

 

“Yeah, well, Clary ran off too. She’s never so naughty.” 

“Clary?” The wet man repeated, “who names a dog Clary?” 

Magnus scoffed. “Who names a dog Jace?” 

“Alright, touche,” the wet man allowed, smiling a little. “Do I get to ask your name?” 

“Magnus,” he replied, “Magnus Bane.”

“Alec Lightwood,” he returned, holding out his hand. 

“No offense, Alec,” Magnus said slowly, “but I’d rather not shake your hand right now.”

Alec chuckled, scratching his face. “Yeah… Probably smart. I don’t usually walk around wet, by the way. I was on my bike and Jace pulled me and I lost control and crashed into the lake.” 

“You crashed into the lake?!” Magnus repeated, “are you okay?”

“Uh… I think I hit my head a bit, and I have some scrapes, but I think I’m fine.” 

Magnus bit the inside of his cheek, glancing at Clary. Jace was lying on the floor belly up, his tail wagging as Clary snuffled at his neck. He’d never seen Clary’s tail wag so hard. The thought of tearing the two dogs apart was a horrible thought, and honestly, he wouldn’t mind finding out just how cute Alec was in some fresh clothes after a shower.

“My friend Catarina lives just around the corner,” Magnus told him, “she’s a nurse. You might have a concussion, you should… You should let her check you out.” 

“I’m fine,” Alec insisted, blinking very quickly as he looked down at Jace. “But uh, yeah. Maybe that would be a good idea.”

Magnus smiled a little. He knew that look; Alec was thinking the same thing he was. Their dogs were in puppy love.


	2. Chapter 2

When Magnus had first suggested going to Cat’s, he thought it had been a stroke of genius, but he’d forgotten how Catarina got around new boyfriends. Not that Alec was a new boyfriend, Magnus told himself, just a new friend, that was a boy. Man. A good-looking man that was definitely not straight, judging by the cut of his pants. 

“So you… Crashed your bike into a lake?” Cat verified, handing Alec a towel as she showed them into the living room. 

"Yeah, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds," Alec chuckled, his cheeks pink. “Jace…” He growled, struggling to keep his dog from following Clary up onto the couch. “Sorry about him. He’s not usually so…”

“Oh, you can let him off the leash,” Cat shrugged, going to get her medical kit. 

“But yeah, I, uh… I don’t make a habit of crashing into bodies of water, but Jace has been a nightmare today.” Alec rubbed the towel through his hair, avoiding eye contact with Magnus, who was getting to know Jace, scratching his chin and cooing at him. 

“The two of them weren’t letting anything get between them,” Magnus chuckled, letting Jace go so he could play with Clary, the two of them batting at each other and wrestling on the couch next to Magnus. “Love at first sight.”

“Mmmm,” Cat was giving Magnus The Look, and Magnus mouthed 'stop it' at her, jabbing his head towards Alec. “Come and sit down, let me take a look at you.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you on your day off,” Alec murmured as he sat on the chair Cat had pulled in from the kitchen. 

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Cat assured him, “you’re not the first concussed man that Magnus has brought to my door, believe it or not, but your manners are a lot better than that other guy’s.”

Alec looked at Magnus with wide eyes, his eyebrow arched.

“I swear I don’t make a habit of bringing home concussed men, it just so happens that one time I was walking home with a date and he got run over by an UberEats cyclist and got a concussion.” Magnus explained, shrugging one shoulder. 

“Oh,” Alec nodded. He sucked his lower lip into his mouth as Cat shone a little torch into each of his eyes, struggling to keep his eyes on the light and off Magnus. “I date men too, for the record.”

Cat pressed her lips together to keep from scoffing at the less than subtle hint. “That’s nice.”

“Just didn’t want you to think I was weirded out by it,” Alec said hurriedly, rubbing his palms on his damp trousers, “I’m cool. I’m gay, actually, and I swear I must be concussed because I don’t usually talk this much shit.” He chuckled, eyes darting over to Magnus, who looked surprised, but pleased.

“If it makes you feel better, I’d already clocked you checking me out in the park,” Magnus replied dryly, even if it was a half-lie. “Besides, I feel like our dogs love each other so much, we have no choice but to walk them together a couple of times a week.” 

“So you’ll go out with me?” Alec checked.

Cat waited with her hands on her hips for Magnus to respond, wanting to get on with checking Alec over but not wanting to interrupt their little moment. 

Magnus smiled, his eyes on Jace and Clary. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.” He glanced over at Alec. “But I’m not going anywhere near that bloody lake.” 

Alec laughed. “Yeah, I won’t be visiting that lake for a while.” 

For a moment, the two men smiled at each other, both a little nervous but exhilarated at the possibilities that lay ahead of them. Cat cleared her throat, giving Magnus a meaningful look. 

“Do you feel any headache, nausea, ringing in the ears?” She asked Alec, who shook his head. She shone a small torch into his eyes, checking the reactions of his pupils.

“No, it just feels a little sore here,” he answered, rubbing the right side of his forehead, which had the beginnings of a bruise. 

Cat shrugged, putting her torch back into her medical kit. “In that case, you’re probably alright. Just a superficial bump. Go to the emergency room if you vomit or start feeling dizzy, alright?” 

“Will do,” Alec promised, getting up from the chair. He whistled for Jace, but the dog completely ignored him, too comfortable where he was curled up with Clary, their noses touching. “Come on, Jace, we’ve gotta go.” 

“Maybe it’ll help if I walk out with you,” Magnus suggested, reaching for Clary’s leash. Immediately Clary’s head perked up and she let out a whine. 

Jace paid attention to Alec, then, running to his master’s heel when he saw that Alec was also holding a leash. He jumped up and did his little spin-dance that he did when he was excited to go somewhere, and Clary followed his lead, trotting over to Magnus.

“Those dogs sure are fond of each other,” Cat laughed, shaking her head. “Clary’s usually such a good girl.” 

“I know,” Magnus said grimly, “one boy comes along and suddenly all her common sense goes out the window.” 

“Heterosexuals,” Alec tutted, clipping Jace’s leash to his collar, “what can you do?” 

“Don’t say that word in my good gay household,” Catarina piped up, tutting. 

Alec smiled at her, his eyes crinkling. “Thank you for looking after me.” 

“I’d say any time, but please don’t make a habit of driving your bike into lakes.” 

“Cross my heart,” Alec promised, going in for a handshake. 

"I'd hug you but you're kinda gross right now," Cat told him, which made Alec chuckle and shrug. 

“Shall we?” Magnus offered. He was already standing by the door, holding it open for Alec. 

The two of them descended the stairs carefully, the dogs straining against the leashes all the way. Magnus dug in his wallet as he went, his eyebrows furrowing as he searched for a spare business card. Alec didn’t have any business cards, but he did always carry a pen and small notepad, though the notepad was now ruined from the water. 

When they reached the street, Magnus handed Alec one of his business cards. “Call me anytime.” 

“Can I write mine on your hand?” Alec asked, “I don’t have any fancy business cards.” 

Magnus chuckled. “You remember that mobile phones exist, I hope…” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opened the contacts app and held it out to Alec to enter his number, “though I guess your phone is wrecked now.”

“No, it’s fine, I didn’t bring it with me,” Alec shrugged, typing his number into Magnus’ phone. “I like to leave it at home when I take Jace out, unplug for a bit.” 

“That’s cute. I always say I’m going to do that but I never do. Lydia calls me all times of the day demanding progress updates, so-”

“Lydia?” Alec quirked his eyebrow.

“My boss,” Magnus explained, “I’m a designer, she’s the editorial director, she’s a hardass, I’m always stressed, you know the drill.” 

They were walking aimlessly now, Jace and Clary trotting along together, pulling their owners wherever their noses fancied. Neither Alec or Magnus seemed to mind; in fact, neither had noticed, too busy trying to make a good impression on the other. 

“Well, I can’t relate to that,” Alec admitted, tearing his eyes away from Magnus to look down at their dogs, “I’m a freelance musician, so I don’t have just one boss.”

“A musician? Who can afford to dress nicely? You must be good.” 

Alec smiled, shrugging one shoulder coyly. “I mostly write for indie films and tv shows. And thank you for noticing, though I do get the majority of my clothes off sales racks.”

“Pretty and thrifty, hello,” Magnus teased, bumping Alec with his hip. 

“And you look like a million bucks from head to toe, so you’ll forgive me for being a little intimidated,” Alec returned. 

Magnus couldn’t hide how pleased he was with the compliment, happiness warming him from the inside out. “I know I’m supposed to insist that you shouldn’t be intimidated, but I sort of like that you’re scared of me.” 

Alec laughed, shaking his head. “I didn’t say scared.”

“Pretty sure you’d find scared under intimidated in a thesaurus.” Magnus shrugged.

“I’ll consult mine when I get home,” Alec challenged, finally taking note of where they were. “Where are we going?” 

“I don’t know, I was following you,” Magnus realised, “where are we?” 

Jace yipped in protest when Alec stopped walking, and Clary tugged on her leash. They clearly had some destination in mind. Alec and Magnus looked at each other, and Alec shrugged. 

“You got anywhere to be?” 

Magnus had a lot of work to do at home, but he didn’t want to tear himself away from whatever was brewing between he and Alec. On the other hand... “You really need to get out of those damp clothes.”

“Oh.” Alec looked down at himself, his eyebrows furrowing. “I uh, I totally forgot about that.” 

“Maybe we should… Postpone our adventure until tomorrow?” 

Alec nodded, rubbing his forehead. “Yeah. Maybe this time I can turn up wearing clothes that don’t have algae on them.” 

Magnus chuckled, waving down a taxi. “Still got my card?” 

“Yep,” Alec confirmed, patting his inside pocket. He held the door open for Magnus to climb in the cab with Clary, holding Jace back from leaping in next to them. 

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Magnus promised, waving as Alec shut the door.

Jace howled when the cab drove away, looking up at Alec with a reproachful look, not that Alec noticed. He was watching the taxi disappear around the corner.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you want more!


End file.
